单选题 Many people seem to think that science fiction is typified by the covers of some of the old pulp magazines, the Bug-Eyed Monster, embodying every trait and feature that most people find repulsive, is about to grab, and presumably ravish, a sweet, blonde, curvaceous, scantily clad Earth girl. This is unfortunate because it demeans and degrades a worthwhile and even important literary endeavor. In contrast to this unwarranted stereotype, science fiction rarely emphasizes sex, and when it does, it is more discreet than other contemporary fiction. Instead, the basic interest of science fiction lies in the relation between man and his technology and between man and the universe. Science fiction is a literature of change and a literature of the future, and while it would be foolish to claim that science fiction is a major literary genre at this time, the aspects of human life that it considers make it well worth reading and studying for no other literary form does quite the same things.
What is science fiction? To begin, the following definition should be helpful: science fiction is a literary subgenre which postulates a change (for human beings) from conditions as we know them and follows the implications of these changes to a conclusion. Although this definition will necessarily be modified and expanded, it covers much of the basic groundwork and provides a point of departure.
The first point-that science fiction is a literary subgenre-is a very important one, but one which is often overlooked or ignored in most discussions of science fiction. Specifically, science fiction is either a short story or a novel. There are only a few dramas which could be called science fiction, with Karel Capek's RUR (Rossum's Universal Robots) being the only one that is well known, the body of poetry that might be labeled science fiction is only slightly larger. To say that science fiction is a subgenre of prose fiction is to say that it has all the basic characteristics and serves the same basic functions in much the same way as prose fiction in general, that is, it shares a great deal with all other novels and short stories.
Everything that can be said about prose fiction, in general, applies to science fiction. Every piece of science fiction, whether short story or novel, must have a narrator, a story, a plot, a setting, characters, language, and theme. And like any prose, the themes of science fiction are concerned with interpreting man's nature and experience in relation to the world around him. Themes in science fiction are constructed and presented in exactly the same ways that themes are dealt with in any other kind of fiction. They are the result of a particular combination of narrator, story, plot, character, setting, and language. In short, the reasons for reading and enjoying science fiction, and the ways of studying and analyzing it, are basically the same as they would be for any other story or novel.

单选题 Science fiction is called a literary subgenre because______.
[A] it is not important enough to be a literary genre
[B] it cannot be made into a dramatic presentation
[C] it shares characteristics with other types of prose fiction
[D] to call it a "genre" would subject it to literary jargon
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】这是一道细节题。文章第三段最后一句话指出:总的来说,科学小说和散文很相似,也就是说,它与其他所有的小说和短篇故事都有许多共同点。这与C项之意相符。应选C。
单选题 The final sentence in the text implies that______.
[A] the reader should turn next to commentaries on general fiction
[B] there is no reason for any reader not to like science fiction
[C] the reader should compare other novels and stories to science fiction
[D] those who can appreciate prose fiction can appreciate science fiction
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】这是一道推论题。文章最后一句话说:人们阅读、欣赏科幻小说的原因以及他们研究、分析科幻小说的方法与人们阅读、欣赏、研究和分析任何其他故事或小说的原因和方法是基本一致的。由此可知:能欣赏散文也就能欣赏科幻小说。只有D的推论结果符合文章的意思。应选D。
单选题 From the last paragraph, we know that people read science fiction especially for______.
[A] the discovery of meaning
[B] the beauty of language
[C] the display of character
[D] the psychological complexity
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】这是一道归纳题。文章第四段指出:科幻小说同散文差不多,其主题是为了诠释人的个性、说明他与周围世界的经历,这同其他文学作品很相似。由此可知:人们看科幻小说的主要目的是为了弄懂它的意思。B、C与此意不符;文中没有提到D项之意。只有A符合文章的意思。应选A。
单选题 An appropriate title for this passage would be______.
[A] On the Inaccuracies of Pulp Magazines
[B] Toward a Definition of Science Fiction
[C] A Type of Prose Fiction
[D] Beyond the Bug-Eyed Monster
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】这是一道主旨题。本文主要说明了科幻小说的定义,介绍了它的特点、主题,指出它同其他文学作品很相似。选项中只有B可以表达此意。应选B。
单选题 According to the author, the popular image of science fiction is______.
[A] prejudiced
[B] impartial
[C] worthy
[D] admiring
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】这是一道细节题。文章第一段指出:许多人认为,科幻小说带有一些旧版书的封面,包含大多数人不喜欢的所有特性;与这种毫无根据的陈词老调相反,科幻小说很少强调性,即使强调性也比其他当代作品更谨慎;相反,科幻小说的根本点是反映人与技术、人与宇宙的关系。由此可知:人们普遍对科幻小说的看法不对,带有偏见。这与A项之意相符。应选A。